Michael Douglas claims cult once tried to kill him

Michael Douglas has claimed a cult once tried to "eliminate" him.

During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Wednesday to promote his new memoir One Helluva Ride, Douglas recalled his near-death experience after being invited out for a meal.

"They invited me for dinner, and then they said, 'Well, with a lady friend,' they said... 'We've been trying to reach you,'" he explained.

"We got to dessert, and they said, 'We've been trying to reach you, and you just don't get it. You don't get it. So, you're going to have to be eliminated.'"

Douglas claimed the cult members then insisted he had to "join" their organisation and "be part of it" before things turned nasty.

As he realised he was in grave danger, the 82-year-old Wall Street star revealed the situation turned tense and his date for the night couldn't control her emotions.

"They were going to whack me," he continued.

"My girlfriend just started falling apart, peeing in her pants and all that."

While Douglas was sure he and his lady friend were "going to get killed" he was left stunned when the cult members decided to let them go.

"Then I said, 'I'm going to leave now,' and they said, 'Yeah, you better,'" the star added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Douglas also revealed his close friend Danny DeVito once swallowed several marijuana joints after they were stopped by the police.

The pair had been on their way to a concert when Douglas was pulled over for making an illegal left-hand turn.

"'And I get out of the car, and I go back and I talk to the police officer," he laughed.

"I remember when I got back into the car - Danny was with me - and we had, you know, a few joints, and Danny was in the back seat.

"And I just looked at him, and said, 'Where's the grass?' And Danny smiled. All his mouth was entirely... green... he swallowed all of them!" the star added.